This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Northern Minnesota with a great group of guys to participate in a charity ice fishing tournament with some of our Minnesota friends whom we had
Monster Alligator Gar
Dated: January 5 2024
Views: 529
In February 2021, our fishing friends, Brian & Colette, invited Lori and I on yet another fishing adventure, this time in southern Missouri. We planned a long weekend of trout fishing and we'd be staying on Upper Lake Taneycomo at the Lilleys' Landing Resort & Marina. On this trip, our target species would be trout - a species with which we were unfamiliar and had never really fished for in the past. Little did we know it was going to be a completely different species that made for a tall fish tale on this adventure.
One day while out fishing, Lori and I escaped the fast current of the lake and tucked away in a small alcove where the water was calm and we could rest a bit. There would be no rest at this stop though because as soon as we entered the little cove, I saw a giant alligator gar suspended near the top of the water apparently catching some sunshine. Now, I've never caught a gar and had only seen them suspended in the large aquarium tanks at places like Bass Pro or Cabelas, but I was determined to catch him.
We got close enough to the fish for me to cast my lure right in front of his nose. The gar showed no interest in my presentation, so I switched lures and continued to switch lures until I had thrown just about everything in the tackle box at him. Throughout this time, we inched closer and closer to the gar and got so close that I hatched what I thought was a brilliant idea. I told Lori my plan - I was just going to "net" the fish. Little did I know just how unenthusiastic the fish was going to be about being part of my plan.
The gar still lay suspended on the surface of the water just off the side of our boat. I extended the handle of our net just slightly to give me the reach advantage I needed to scoop him out of the water. Unfortunately for me, I severely underestimated the size of the gar and its ability to actually fit in our net. I reached out and scooped the gar, nose first, as quickly as I could hoisting him into the boat.
Chaos ensued! The gar, only partially contained in the net, began thrashing about with such force that the extension rod of our net broke, causing the portion of the net containing the gar to come towards me and resulting in the gar falling into my now open arms. The weight of the fish and power with which it thrashed about caused me to fall backwards into Lori, almost knocking her out of the boat and into the water! Thankfully, for my sake, that did not happen and I was saved from what would have been an unpleasant reaction from my wife:)
When the dust settled and I regained my footing, I was able to look upon and admire this amazing creature - one that I had never been in contact with before. We snapped a quick pic and released the gar safely back to the water. We really had a great time at Lilleys' Landing - their hospitality and customer service was second to none. We caught several trout as well which made for some delicious meals and Colette's famous smoked trout dip - which is excellent on crackers!
If you're in southern Missouri and want to do a little trout fishing, visit the nice folks at Lilleys' Landing Resort & Marina - you're sure to have a great experience - just don't try to net a gar like I did :) Until next time, tight lines and bent rods my friends!
James Keller
Licensed in both Kansas and Missouri, I help buyers and sellers navigate the residential real estate market with clarity, strategy, and confidence. My approach is rooted in responsive communication, s....
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